Engagement

"Holt, are you home?" Axel asked while opening the door to the dorm room. All of the lights were turned off and his words bounced around the silent air until they died. "Holt?" He called again while taking his key out of the lock and closing the door behind himself.

"I'm here," a quiet voice said from somewhere in the darkness. Just the sound of his voice makes Alex relieved before walking deeper into the dorm.

After flicking a light switch on, he began, "How're you doing?" A dramatic groan came from the freshly illuminated bright yellow loveseat, signaling where he was. While walking over to the couch, Axel sighed, "Hey, I know you're going through some stuff right now, but you gotta do something. You've been cooped up here all by yourself for a week now, and I'm starting to get really worried. Wanna go see a movie?"

Just as dramatically as he groaned, he flopped over to face Axel and growled, "No."

"Okay, let's go to that cafe you like, 'The Unlucky Clover'?" He suggested and leaned an arm against the top of the couch.

"No," he repeated.

"Okay," he sympathized then began to think. "Why don't we go for a walk? Maybe stop by the flower garden and stop to smell the roses?" While chuckling at his own joke, Holt shook his head. His laughter died quickly when he saw tears starting to form in Holt's eyes. Quickly pushing away his panic, Axel said, "Or we could do whatever you want. What do you want to do?"

"I want to die," he cried and flipped over to his side to clutch a pillow.

The panic resurfaced and made him rush to the front of the couch and kneel in front of Holt. "You don't mean that," he cooed as gently as a summer breeze before brushing some loose hairs out of Holt's face. He knew it was bad when Holt didn't even put minimal effort into his hair. Instead of being soft and fluffy like a black rabbit, his hair had turned into a mini oil spill; greasy and messy.

"I mean it, Axel," he pouted, positioning himself to sit up against the arm of the loveseat. "I don't want to live anymore."

"Holt-," he began and got up to meet his eye line.

With no warning, he exclaimed, "What's the point of living?!" Not knowing how to respond, Axel stayed quiet and let him continue. "I don't have my family, I don't have anyone supporting me, and I can't pay for my college all by myself! What's the point if I'm not going to be anything?! I can't do anything with a physiology major! I'm just better off dead!"

Once he broke down into tears, Axel took over comforting him. Though he wasn't the best with emotions, he needed to help. "Holt, you aren't better off dead. You have a bright future ahead of you and you need to be here to see it. I know life might seem hopeless, but you need to power through this. We're so close to graduating and you don't want all of that work going to waste. Honey, you've made it this far, don't back out now. And I can help you. Me, Cassidy, Lauryn, and Hank are here for you. We're all here to help you. You can always get a student loan and pay it off later."

"But then I'll spend the rest of my life trying to pay it back," he blubbered into the pillow.

After pondering, Axel assured, "When I get a real job, I'll help you pay back the loan. And if you go broke you can move in with me. I won't mind living with you until you get back on your feet, as long as you're fine with ramen noodles for dinner every night."

His words seemed to make Holt feel better, just a little. He was still crying as he muttered, "But I don't have a family anymore. I don't have anyone."

"You have me," he pointed out and took a seat on the edge of the loveseat.

Holt looked at him before sniffling, "It's not the same."